Counter Measures to Illegal Immigration to Palestine By Land and Sea British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume I - Page 214. Chapter VII: Immigration: Section 3: Acquisition of Palestinian Citizenship: Section 4:

CHAPTER VII.

No precise figures of their number are available but a. recent police estimate is as follows :-

(a) Haifa. and Jaffa ports.

(b) Haifa District (excluding Haifa port)
(c) Galilee District

(d) Lydda District (excluding Jaffa port)
(e) Samaria District

(f) Gaza District

(g) Jerusalem District

400 6,680 990 1,100 472 140

Total 9,687

It is thought that nearly 7 ,000 of these are Syrians or Lebanese (including over 1000 Hauranis) and that the balance of about 2,700 are mainly Egyptians and Sudanese.

(b) Counter measures,

65. Measures taken to prevent illegal entry into Palestine can conveniently be described under two heads, illegal immigration by sea and illegal immigration by land.

A. ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION BY SEA.

66. Whereas prior to and during the early months of the war Greece, Rumania and Bulgaria were the principal countries of departure for illegal immigrants planning to reach Palestine by sea, the situation is now different, and, for the time being at least, the latter two countries have been replaced by Italy. The cause is to be found in the deterioration in the position of Jews of the countries of central and western Europe consequent on Nazi atrocities and in the severely restrictive policies in regard to emigration followed by the authorities in certain of the territories in Eastern Europe. The situation might be radically altered by a change of policy in Romania and Bulgaria, and these countries could once more become important points of departure for the sea-borne traffic in illegal immigrants.

67. It is reported that there is a rapid accumulation in Italy of potential illegal immigrants from Germany, Austria and other countries of Western Europe. Similarly, though on a considerably smaller scale, there is believed to be a movement of Jews from Balkan countries to Greece having a like intention.

68. Illegal immigration by sea takes two forms :

(a) illicit embarkation on vessels bound for Palestine on legitimate occasions; and "

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